The Matt Swope era officially begins today.

Maryland baseball is back and with a vastly different look from last season’s Big Ten Championship. Just eight days after being eliminated from the Winston-Salem Regional, head coach Rob Vaughn announced that he was heading to Alabama. Maryland wasted no time filling the position with Swope.

The Terps also look different from a player standpoint. The 2023 MLB Draft draft saw seven Terps selected, the most from the program since 2015. The seven selected, Matt Shaw, Luke Shliger, Jason Savacool, Nick Lorusso, Nigel Belgrave, Nick Dean, and Tommy Kane leave Maryland with holes to fill this season.

Despite those losses, this team still includes a plethora of talent. Senior Kevin Keister takes over the role of captain after hitting .303 with 10 home runs and 51 RBIs last season. Also returning is outfielder Elijah Lambros who hit .288 with 14 homers in 2023.

On the pitching side, fifth-year RHP Kenny Lippman is expected to start Maryland’s opener on Friday. In his first season as a Terp in 2023, Lippman had a 4.40 ERA with an 8-1 record.

Georgia Southern Eagles

Last Season

Georgia Southern started the 2023 season 7-4 before a six-game losing streak put them well below .500. They continued the season as a streaky team, winning a pair of games followed by losing a pair, leading to a 27-29 record. The Eagles finished 16-14 against conference opponents earning the ninth seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championship. The tournament bid was short-lived after losing to the eight-seeded Georgia State, 8-5.

Hitters to Watch

The offense will be without last season’s leader Jesse Sherrill. In his senior season, Sherrill led the team with a 4.09 average and a .502 on-base percentage. Sherrill’s ability to get on base made him a perfect leadoff hitter.

Last season, this offense lacked power with only two players hitting double-digit home runs. One of those players, Jarrett Brown, is returning to the team for his senior season. Brown will be one of the Eagles’ top hitters this year. In 2023, Brown hit just under .300 with 12 homers and a team-leading 69 RBIs.

Switch-hitting outfielder Sam Blancato put together a solid redshirt junior season in 2023, hitting .303 with a .857 OPS. Brown and Blancato will both serve as team captains for the Eagles this season.

Pitchers to Watch

The Eagles’ pitching struggled last season and could not quite find an ace to lead the rotation. Lefty Ty Fisher looked like the ace in 2022 with a 2.58 ERA and a 6-2 record. However, in 2023, Fisher could not replicate that success. He led the team in innings pitched and strikeouts, but also had a 7.07 ERA. The Terps will see Fisher at some point during the weekend, but which Fisher they will see remains a question mark.

Over the offseason, Georgia Southern welcomed a promising starting pitcher in Joey White. White transferred from Birmingham-Southern College where he put together a 3.74 ERA and 13-4 record in two seasons. It is unclear if White will be starting right away, but for a team lacking starting pitching, he could be a viable option.

Probable Starting Pitchers

Friday, February 16: Kenny Lippman vs. Thomas Higgins

Saturday, February 17: Logan Koester vs. Mitchell Gross

Sunday, February 18: Meade Johnson vs. Ty Fisher